On Your Side
by Angel Taisha
Summary: AU: He wants to protect her from her suddenly aggressive drinking, but it is taking its toll on him and his feelings for her. "You can't...leave her, that is." "Old habits die hard" He replied. "Goodnight."


**A/N: Another Hitsu/Matsu pointless fluff one-shot that is neither here nor there. It is obviously AU, and I don't think there are any spoilers. OOCness abounds as well, just so you know. Enjoy! **

Captain Hitsugaya settled his pen down onto the desk; he decided the last paper was signed for the day, or rather- according to the clock on the wall to his left- night. It was two o'clock in the morning and time to go home.

Toushirou rubbed his temples wearily and sighed. "I am way too old for this." He grumbled to no one as he stood up and headed out of Division ten's office quarters. It was a remark that was ironic for years due to his young appearance, but became a reality that stemmed from the growth spurt he'd experienced the year before. Gone was the short, childlike boy, now replaced with a tall, finely chiseled man, age appropriate to the title and rank Toushirou possessed.

He flash-stepped through Seireite; a place he'd known like the back of his hand for as long as he could remember. He could zip around corners and alleys with his eyes closed, but no matter how many times Toushirou meant to head towards his home, he always ended up at the same crossroad…

…the one that divided and led to either his bed or the one that led to the bar…

…The bar he knew his strawberry blonde headed lieutenant was in, like every other night before it. As he stood at the intersection, Toushirou could- without even having to see with his eyes, know Rangiku Matsumoto was seated at the edge of the bar at this time with her head slumped into her left arm, and a bottle of sake clenched in her right.

He contemplated going over there _again_, to make sure she was all right _again_, but he found it to be harder every time to do so. He found it hard to just go into the bar, pick up Rangiku's inebriated form, take her back to her place, lay her on her futon, and walk out the door.

She had been like that for about a month since the year anniversary of Gin's death at Toushirou's hands, and although she knew he needed to die, part of her couldn't handle it when she got drunk, which unfortunately for the Captain turned into every night since. He didn't have trouble helping her because he felt guilty for killing Gin; Toushirou went into that battle with the resolve and confidence that he was indeed, responsible for his crimes against Soul Society along with Aizen.

The reason he had trouble helping his lieutenant after all this time was because he had begun to develop feelings for her; ones that had only started to surface after his growth spurt. He used to be angry at her for lazing about, not doing paperwork, and drinking on the job, but Toushirou realized that although he _was_ a child prodigy and wise beyond his years, he had not actually developed the adult reasoning that learned to forgive others for their quirks and misgivings. Once he had developed and shed his younger form, the Captain had started to experience those feelings, and Rangiku was the first one he'd begun to understand. The more he'd studied her behaviors, the more he started to 'get' her, and over time, to even love her.

The only downside was that he'd realized this too late- Rangiku was slipping down a slope of despair and heartbreak at the hands of a dead man and there was nothing Toushirou could do but bring her home safely every night and watch her deteriorate.

The crisp, evening air whipped through Toushirou's captain's cloak and robes as he stood in place contemplating, but not for long. With a grunt, sigh, and hand to his forehead he headed into the direction of the bar, suppressed his riatsu and peeked into the dimly lit place.

Just as he'd envisioned, Toushirou saw Rangiku sitting there slumped over her left arm with the bottle clenched tightly in the other and couldn't help but let out a grim chuckle. He observed for a few moments to see if she'd stir, but he knew she wouldn't. Rangiku had become predictable in her drunken state, and in a way Toushirou was thankful for it. He flash-stepped right behind her and tapped her shoulder.

"Matsumoto…" He whispered softly, hoping not to startle her. "Matsumoto, let's go." The bartender approached them from behind the bar, and smiled.

"She's been like that for about an hour as usual." The man replied- prying the bottle from the woman's hand out of habit. "It's a good thing you came 'round. Some unsavory shinigami were eyeing her from the back and I was wonderin' when you were gonna show up."

"I almost didn't." Toushirou declared as he placed Rangiku's arm around his neck to support her.

"But you can't…leave her, that is."

"Old habits die hard." Was the captain's simple reply. "Goodnight."

And with that, Hitsugaya disappeared with his lieutenant out of the bar and through the streets of Seireite toward her living quarters. He carried her into her bedroom as he'd done many times before and laid her gently onto her futon. Pulling the blankets up past Rangiku's heaving cleavage, Toushirou took one last look at her passed out form and watched her sleep. He wondered if she ever remembered him doing this every night; she never mentioned it in the mornings when she came into the office, then again- her captain never asked her about her evenings either, which was not uncharacteristic of him.

Toushirou turned to leave, and was about to flash out of her quarters when he heard a faint noise coming from Rangiku's bed. He paused; his teal eyes widened like saucers and he froze in place. The sound came again, louder than before.

"Captain?"

Toushirou turned around slowly until he was facing his lieutenant from across the room. The moonlight shone through a crack in the window, illuminating Rangiku's silhouette as she sat up from her futon. She tapped the light on her bedside table and the room lit up completely to reveal Toushirou standing in her doorway with his fists clenched at his sides. As he looked into her steel blue eyes, he was shocked to find them clear and coherent, and her face was stern.

Hitsugaya gulped, still afraid to move. "Matsu…Matsu…I can explain…"

"So it _was_ you this whole time, Captain!" She exclaimed, standing up from the futon. "_You're_ the one that has been taking me home! I had a feeling…but couldn't remember, so I pretended to be drunk to make sure!"

Rangiku approached Toushirou and pulled her into him, but his new height kept his face from being suffocated by her breasts, so for the first time since he'd grown they were able to share a real hug. At first Toushirou couldn't move; his hands still hung at his sides in shock, but as his lieutenant's grip on him tightened, the softness of her body and smell of her perfume helped persuade him to lift up his own arms and reciprocate. They separated after a moment, but Toushirou kept hold of Rangiku's hands in his tenderly.

"Wha…what can I say, Matsumoto" he stammered, holding her eyes in his as he slowly gained his courage. "You've been destroying yourself for a month since the anniversary of Gin's death and I was worried. What was I supposed to do? Leave you to your own devices?"

"You could have sent Hisagi or Renji…you didn't have to bear the burden, Captain." She said sadly.

"You're not a burden!" He declared, his stance unwavering. "You're my lieutenant. You always watch my back…I wanted to watch yours for once." Toushirou lowered his head, slitting his eyes as they looked at the ground. "You…you're important to me, Matsumoto."

"I am?"

"Of course you idiot! I love you."

Rangiku's face went white at her captain's declaration and she ripped her hands from his and put them to her face, turning away from him. He followed behind her and put a hand on her shoulder, turning her harshly to force her to face him again.

"Matsumoto I'm sorry…I" His words were cut off by soft lips against his and thin fingers scratching at the back of his scalp. As he realized what was happening- that the lieutenant he'd fallen in love with was kissing him, and in no words revealing that she possibly felt the same way, he quickly reciprocated again, crushing Rangiku as close to him as he possibly could. When their lips unlocked their foreheads touched; both struggling to catch their breath.

"Thank you, Toshi-sama." She panted, moving her hands to his cheeks, caressing his face with the pads of her thumbs. "I love you too…I have for a long time." Toushirou's hands reached up to Rangiku's wrists as they held his face, gripping them loosely. He kissed her again and pulled back; his face twisted in confusion.

"But how? What about Gin?"

"What about him?"

"Isn't that why you were drowning yourself in alcohol?"

Her answer surprised him.

"No it wasn't."

If Toushirou wasn't already confused by the whole evening he certainly was at that moment and he tried in vain to read his lieutenant's eyes. Noticing his confusion almost immediately, Rangiku tried to explain. She led them both to the futon and they took a seat together on its edge.

"The one year anniversary of Gin's death was when I discovered my feelings for you…so I drank to get over the guilt I felt. I felt like I betrayed him, but I found that no matter how much sake I consumed that it wasn't enough." She grabbed for Toushirou's hand and squeezed it tighter. "It started out innocently enough…I'd go out with the guys and have a few like always, but a few turned to so much that I would pass out, and eventually they stopped going with me."

"Hisagi came to me, and told me what you were doing, but he never said why. He just said it was hard for him to watch you destroy yourself. I had to make sure you were all right if no one else would."

"Hisagi didn't know the whole story. He thought that it was because of my love for Gin that I got worse."

Toushirou looked to Rangiku with sorrow in his eyes. To know that it was because of him she was drinking heavier than before did not settle well and his heart sank. Once again, his lieutenant sensed that almost immediately and put a finger to his mouth.

"No! Toshi- you weren't the cause of my… please don't blame yourself. Besides! I'm over it now, I promise!"

"But how? You've been like this every day for a month!" He shouted, his eyes burning in anger not directed at her. "This is not something you could just 'get over'"

"Every time I woke up in the morning I had no idea how I got home, and since everyone else had pretty much abandoned me I slowly put two and two together- the way you overlooked my tardiness, you never asked me about my evenings, and you let me sleep at work. How else would you have been so tolerant if you didn't know?"

"I wish you would have just told me." Toushirou sighed, looking away from her.

"I was afraid of your reaction Captain, and didn't want to take a chance on losing another friend."

"You could never do anything to lose me, except drink yourself to death." His hand covered hers now, and he held it protectively as he inched closer. Toushirou's teal eyes bore into her, washed with concern. "Please don't ever do that again, Rangiku."

"I'm sorry for worrying you." She said sadly, attempting to avert her eyes from his gaze, but he stopped her before she could look away.

"Don't." He caressed her cheek and brought her lips to his, kissing her softly. When they parted, their eyes met half lidded, both panting heavily. "Just say you'll be with me" Toushirou breathed, nuzzling his nose to hers.

"Are you sure this is what you want, Toshi-sama?"

His response to her question was another searing kiss, followed by a rough push backward by him onto her futon.


End file.
